Have you seen the prices for the high-end skin care lines these days? With promises of wrinkle reduction, youthful skin and the like? The thing is, most of these products contain important, therapeutic plant extracts that are readily available to you. And those ones with unpronounceable names? Because they can’t patent plant extracts, they have to make ingredients with unpronounceable names — but choose the right plant extract, the one(s) that’s right for your skin, and you’ll get amazing results. (My partner keeps telling me I look healthier, but the only thing I’ve been doing differently is using a personal formula with many of the extracts in this article!) Here’s how to make your own, easily, quickly, and at a far more reasonable price than the latest from those laboratories in France…

Essential Oils: The Best Skin Care Botanicals

You’ll find essential oils in every “high end” mature skin beauty product, though sometimes you’ll see them discretely labeled as “plant extracts” or similar terms. The thing is that many folks still don’t realize that essential oils truly are medicine, not just fine smelling precious liquid in tiny bottles. When you understand that essential oils are simply the concentrated “volatile” (easily evaporated liquid) constituents naturally present in ALL plants, you’ll see that they’re nothing less than any other herbal concentrate. And essential oils are so very compatible with our skin — they are very easily absorbed — that they can actually work better than other types of botanical skin care ingredients. Making a custom recipe for yourself is as simple as matching the therapeutic properties of the essential oils to your skin’s needs — then mixing them together with one or more “fixed” oils, and voila! You’ve got the perfect daily skin care creation.

Rose is the Oil of Beauty

Again and again, in every natural skin care recipe book, one finds one oil more highly regarded than any other — Rose Otto, the steam distilled variety of Rose (it is also found as an Absolute, which is more appropriate for natural perfumes). Rose Otto has a host of therapeutic skin care properties: it hydrates without being greasy, it’s gently antiseptic, soothing to damaged skin, can heal broken capillaries, and supports the skin’s natural metabolism. It is also the most important oil for women for its heart opening, anti-depressant action — considered the “oil of the highest vibration” used in aroma-therapeutics. While a bit pricey, it’s very potent; only a few drops are needed in any recipe.

History’s Favorite Skin Soother: Calendula Oil

Calendula oil has been used for hundreds of years for all sorts of skin care uses. Its exceptionally soothing, with the traditional use being for infant’s skin care. The flowers have been hard to work with however, limiting the uses of this magnificent medicinal plant. A new extraction technique now offers us a Calendula oil concentrate, often labeled Calendula CO2. This new extract is highly antioxidant, powerfully wound-healing, and one of the most effective soothers of irritated or damaged skin available on Earth.

Stimulate, Regenerate and Cleanse

Last but not least, we’ll add something truly regenerative. One or more essential oils that really helps the skin look and feel ALIVE. Three excellent choices are Rosemary Verbenone, Helichrysum italicum, and French Lavender. Rosemary has also been used in skin care for hundreds (maybe even thousands) of years. Cleansing and invigorating, Rosemary increasing the metabolism of skin cells (more nutrients in and more waste out). The Verbenone type contains a natural constituent considered by therapists to speed tissue regeneration, making healthier skin faster! Helichrysum is more potent than Rosemary as an anti-inflammate, and regenerative, but not quite as stimulating to cell metabolism or as strong an anti-septic. Lavender is likely the most common of the regenerative skin care essential oils; its very gentle, soothing, balancing, and cleansing — its also quite floral, so if you like earthier aromas, choose Rosemary or Helichrysum, if you enjoy flower-scents, go for the Lavender.

A final two essential oils with significant therapeutic action in skin care: Green Myrtle and Sandalwood. Both of these oils are considered highly balancing, bringing oils back to a healthy middle ground. Sandalwood is excellent for both oily AND dry skin, adding a pleasing, grounding, earthy aroma to your formula (it is quite popular in men’s skin care too). Myrtle is astringent, tightening, antiseptic, and has a fresh, bright, herbaceous aroma with a lemony-twist.

Cold-Pressed Oils: The Base of Your Recipe

On to the base of the formula, the “carrier oils”. These are oils cold pressed from nuts, seeds and fruit. Olive oil is an example, but we’ll use ones more therapeutic for woman’s beauty care. Virgin Coconut oil is the foundation of every recipe. It has a host of therapeutic properties itself: it is antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral (just in case!). Coconut oil is also VERY hydrating and is known to balance hormones in the skin on a cellular level (which can clear up a number of skin “conditions” — acne being one of them, dry irritated skin being another). Kukui nut oil, also from the tropics, is another amazing, healing base oil with numerous skin care benefits similar to Coconut. Kukui oil is beneficial for all skin types bringing a gentle softness and silkiness to the skin. Both of these oils blended in equal amounts make a wonderful base into which to add the essential oils.

Rosehip Seed: Nature’s Anti-Wrinkle Solution

For everyone EXCEPT those prone to acne, Rosehip Seed oil is the third important base oil. Rosehip seed naturally balances the incredible tropical nut oils, coming from the high mountain arid regions of South America. Rosehip seed may be the most thoroughly studied carrier oil for skin care use — and with excellent results. Rosehip has been shown to significantly reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and scars, while smoothing overall skin texture and color. Imagine what its going to do with all these other top-notch therapeutic ingredients…let’s get on to mixing them.

Get Yourself Started With These Ingredients and Instructions

Ingredients: 1 dark glass bottle 30 or 60ml (1 or 2 ounces). Blue cobalt is beautiful. Brown is also appropriate. You’ll want to use a dark colored glass to protect the essential oils. Also: 1 funnel, Essential oils of choice, Coconut oil (warm to make liquid at room temperature), Kukui nut oil

Mixing instructions: Add the required number of drops of each essential oil to your empty bottle. If making 2 ounces, double the amounts, 4 ounces, 4 times, etc. With a funnel, add approximate amounts of your carrier oil — if using all three carrier oils, for example, just fill the bottle about a third of the way with each oil. Don’t overfill, as you won’t be able to get the eyedropper in (if using one) without spilling! Gently invert the bottle several times and let set for a bit. The aroma will not really be brilliant until the following day, but you can use the mixture right away. The formulas are designed for using one to 3 times per day. On to the recipes:

Brilliant Beauty Recipes for All Skin Types:

For dry skin with smile lines: Rose Otto 8 drops, Lavender 12 drops, Calendula CO2 6 drops, based in equal parts Coconut, Kukui oil and Rosehip seed oils.

For mature skin with scars and smile lines: Rose Otto 6 drops, Lavender 8 drops, Helichrysum 6 drops, Rosemary V. 6 drops, based in equal parts Coconut, Kukui oil and Rosehip seed oils.

For irritated or sensitive skin: Rosemary Verbenone 8 drops, Lavender 6 drops, Calendula 6 drops, Sandalwood 6 drops, in equal parts of all three base oils.

For skin that is oily or combination: Green Myrtle 10 drops, Lavender 8, drops, Rosemary V. 6 drops, in equal parts of Kukui and Coconut oils only, no Rosehip Seed.

And there you have it: incredibly effective “mature skin” care blends for every woman. Once you make one of these yourself, and realize you may have just made yourself the best skin care formula EVER, you can experiment a little with one or more of the hundreds of essential oils available. Each has unique therapeutic properties that are highly compatible to our skin. Here’s to your happy, healthy glow!

For more, visit Synergy Essential Oils and Organic Medicinal Herbs.